Painting on Outdoor Metal - Windmill

Hey Friends!

Today I'm going a little bit country.

My cousin, Ryan, gave me quite the challenge

painting the tail of his windmill.

Thank goodness he bought it unassembled

so I didn't have to go up in a cherry picker lift

to paint it! ha.

Ryan recently purchased his grandparents farm

and is bringing energy and life to the setting

with his newly painted red barn

and now windmill to match.

I needed help from an expert 

in painting outdoor metals,

so I went to Mr Iske, our local industrial arts teacher.

His classes build and paint race cars

and he is savvy about agricultural buildings.

Sooo...

I started by laying my design out in Photoshop.

I took a picture of the tail,

layered it into photoshop

and experimented with different fonts

and lettering arrangements

until we found the right color and design.

This is a photoshop sample:

Here is another one:

Then, 

in real life : )

I started to prep.

Sand with 80 grit sandpaper.

Clean with aerosol solvent "Brakleen".

You can find this at Napa or O'Reilly Auto.

It is used to clean brake systems.

Let dry completely.

Next, I made a stencil with cardstock and packaging tape

and sprayed a primer onto the metal,

using 616 Cold Galvanizing Primer.

That takes a good 24 hours to dry.

Brush on Van Sickle brand paint.

No sealer needed.

Allow at least 8 hour drying time between coats.

Yep, it's a marathon project.

It was the centerpiece of my living room

for about a week.

I love that Ryan wanted to pay tribute

to his grandparents 

with their names and date established.

What a blessing to the Hrdlicka family.

I know - 

not my typical paint project.

Now let's see how it weathers!

I figure if they use this paint on tractors

we should be good to go.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Deb

Sharing At:

Tatertots & Jello

Between Naps on the Porch

Sunday Showcase Party

Cozy Little House

Ivy and Elephants

Savvy Southern Style

Work it Wednesday